


5+1 Tsundere

by TrashHeapPro



Series: 5+1 Universe [1]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: 5+1 Things, But it's Apex so not "dead" dead, Canon-Typical Violence, Choking, Death, M/M, changed it to M because of that last scene in chapter 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:34:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22826458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashHeapPro/pseuds/TrashHeapPro
Summary: Five times Revenant is a Tsundere, Five times Crypto is a TeaseAnd one time they switched.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Revenant
Series: 5+1 Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653658
Comments: 23
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on a conversation I had with a friend where Revenant isn't mean, he's just a big Tsundere and hasn't experienced affection in a long time.

The new legend invoked fear. Of course, he did. He was a seven-foot killing machine. And here he was walking among them in the Legends’ compound. Weapons weren’t allowed in there for obvious reasons, Bloodhound’s knives being an exception. But Revenant was a walking, shit-talking weapon. The Syndicate couldn’t just ban his entire person.

The simulacrum seemed to hate anything and everything that looked his way. So of course the legends kept their distance. Well, it was a bit harsh to the other legends to say that they feared him. Some did, but most of them were simply wary. No need to get within reach of the literal killing machine.

Tae Joon met a lot of different people in his life. Revenant was rude, hostile even, but Crypto sees everything. He wouldn’t call the simulacrum shy, that wasn’t the right word. Ah, what were they called in anime? Tsundere.

Revenant hid himself under hostility and cold remarks. Crypto has seen his kind before. Scary seven-foot killing machine? No. The only thing Crypto saw was a game. A very interesting game, and he couldn’t wait to play it.

Within the first month of the season, he got lucky and was teamed up with Revenant and Bangalore. Bangalore wasn’t scared of Revenant, results were the only thing she cared about. If he got good results and they were on the same team, she had no reason to be concerned with him. This was good. If their third had been Mirage, there was no telling how long they would last without Revenant putting a hand through the trickster’s chest.

Revenant was struggling to carry all his things. “Find me a backpack,” he snapped into the comms. They were in the same building, there was a backpack right by Crypto’s feet. “Backpack here, level 1,” he said pinging it.

After a few seconds, metallic footsteps came from down the hall. Revenant snatched the gray backpack off the ground. “I’m not thanking you,” he said.

Crypto smirked at him. “Cheon maneh,” he said.

“I’m not!” he snapped.

“Of course not.” Crypto shrugged and turned away, but his smirk never moved off his face. Revenant let it go for the moment, Crypto could feel his eyes bore into his back. He’s got his attention, now to run away with it.

They got into a skirmish with another team, Gibraltar, Bloodhound, and cannon fodder by the looks of it. Gibraltar drew their attention away as the rando moved up. Poor thing was easily downed, but it made room for Bloodhound to flank and get both Bangalore and Revenant by surprise. But Crypto saw it coming. Of course he did. He downed Bloodhound quickly and hid from the Gibraltar’s bombardment.

The ping in his comm meant that one of his teammates were dead and would need to be revived. He looked down at his wrist, it was Bangalore. Shame, but there was a respawn beacon right here.

He ran out of his hiding spot to see Gibraltar finishing Revenant. He took aim with his wingman and got in a nasty headshot on the big guy and another in his gut. “That’s the last of them,” he said. He jogged over to the downed simulacrum, hovering over him. He threw him a smug look. “Need help?”

He growled. “Get me up.”

Crypto scoffed, but still took out a syringe. He stabbed it in his chest and pulled him back on his feet. “You’re welcome,” Crypto said, a teasing lilt to his voice. He plugged Bangalore’s banner into the respawn beacon.

Revenant glared at him. “You want all the teams in the area to converge on us?” he hissed as the green light shot up into the sky.

“Scared?” Something that sounded suspiciously like a growl came from behind him. He turned around. “Go heal up,” he said. “Next time I have to get you up, I’ll make you beg.”

Revenant’s eyes seemed to glow a dangerous orange, but he still took out a phoenix kit and pulled the top.

Crypto watched the airship come in, satisfied, he went to go rummage around in the deathboxes. Bloodhound and Gibraltar only had white shields while the fodder had purple in his box. And he got downed first? What a depressing feat.

He was about to pick it up for himself, but he had an incredibly disrespectful, intrusive thought. He might die after he does this. But what was the point of a game if it was not played? He pinged the purple armor.

“Give it to me.” Revenant went up to the box and took it. He eyed Crypto warily. “Your shields are blue,” he pointed out.

“I know,” he looked up at the simulacrum and grinned. “But I think you need it more than I do.”

Revenant yelled in utter frustration and stabbed at him with his fingers, which was deftly dodged. “Rat! What I need is your blood on my hands!”

Crypto chuckled as he hopped out of range. “You’re too easy, Baegchi.”

“Hey! Save it for the enemies,” Bangalore said over comms. She finished looting her box and pulled out her gun. “We got incoming.”

The readied their weapons. The hiss of Pathfinder’s grappling hook discharging filled the silence. Crypto ran into the building and up the stairs, going into his drone’s controls. “When they push, I’ll EMP. Get ready.”

From his drone, he could see Pathfinder, Octane, and Wraith hop off the zipline. That was a harsh team to go up against, all pushers and quick enough to duck out of a fight if they got low. He just had to hope that his EMP would be enough for Bangalore and Revenant to get the kills. The air crackled as his drone’s EMP surged. Pathfinder raised his arm to grapple and Wraith raised hers ready to ghost out.

“Shut up.”

A black and orange smoke ball landed at their feet, seemingly climbing up their legs, up their arms, and head. Then his EMP hit and they were all slowed, bodies crackling with electricity.

Bangalore rinsed Octane with her carbine. Revenant bodied Wraith with his peacekeeper and clipped Pathfinder with another shot. The MRVN unit got a few shots off, making Revenant grunt as bullets found their way to his thin torso. But a distracted Pathfinder made for an easy shot. Coming out of the house, Crypto downed Pathfinder with two shots.

“That’s the whole squad,” Bangalore said. “Good job, shooter.”

Crypto jumped down and nodded to Revenant. “Nice silence,” he said.

The simulacrum stepped over to Crypto, absolute towering over him. “Your EMP was shit,” he said. “The only reason it turned out even remotely useful was because of me.”

He raised his brow at the comment. “I know,” he said, he smirked up at him. “I’ve never caught any of them in one before and now I got all three. Gomawoh.”

Revenant stiffened and turned away from him. “I didn’t do it for you!” he hissed. “Let’s go. Ring is closing. Or don’t. I don’t care.”

How cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (Just in case anyone needs it).  
> Cheon maneh - You're welcome  
> Baegchi - Idiot  
> Gomawoh - Thank you
> 
> Please let me know if any of the pronouns were hard to follow or if during a scene you got a little confused on who was performing an action.


	2. Chapter 2

In the end, the match was theirs after a tough last fight against Mirage, Watson, and Lifeline’s squad, as well as Caustic’s squad. Of course Caustic was so good that even with a team full of no-names, he could make it a close match. Even with Crypto’s drone disabling all his traps it was close. Mirage’s team did… okay, though he would never admit it to the man. That would be begging for an annoying evening. Tae Joon would sooner chalk that team’s close win to Lifeline and Watson carrying. If Mirage mentioned the decoy Crypto had shot at, alerting the enemy team to their position, he would pretend that it never happened.

Now for the worst part of winning; the post interview. The more interviews he did in front of a camera unobscured by movement, terrain, and dirt, the more likely the Syndicate would recognize him. Assuming they didn’t already. There had been no signs that they were aware of Tae Joon Park’s presence at the games and the cybernetics on his face obscured any known facial recognition software. But what if they knew despite all that? Keep your allies close, your enemies even closer.

They just finished up their medical evals and were walking to the conference room. No one ever had to stay in medical for very long, injuries in the games tended not to follow them out of it, but they needed to go through checkups just in case.

He hated interviews even without the threat of a murderous organization hanging over his head. If he was dragging his feet, he’d say it was due to exhaustion, regardless of how false that statement was. He couldn’t imagine that this team made for good interviews either. Bangalore was always practical and curt with her answers, Crypto did his damnedest to say as little as possible (which the PR team allowed because it was part of his ‘shtick’), and Revenant… well, Revenant was odd, cryptic, with all his answers.

Conspiracy theorists loved it though, absolutely ate up everything that came out of that metal mouth. Tae Joon has seen it on online forums. He found it all very amusing, as he knew the truth himself. Hard for even the Syndicate to keep things from him.

He eyed Revenant. Man molded into machine, seeking revenge just as he. Although the simulacrum was _far_ more open about his desire for vengeance, seeking it out in not so subtle ways. Keeping him here was just a way for the Syndicate and Hammond to keep an eye on him.

“What are you staring at?” Revenant snipped at him.

Tae Joon’s mouth twitched up. “You.”

His eyes widened and mouth slackened, but only slightly. The only reason Tae Joon noticed was because his eyes were trained on his face. Thin fingers wrapped around the collar of his jacket, lifting him up to his tippy toes. The other hand stiffened, pointed at his exposed neck.

The escort team around them started yelling. Probably to get security. But the man machine was the only thing that had his attention. Tae Joon was playing with fire here. If a whole fist went through his throat outside of the arena, he doubted he would live through it.

“I’ll give you something to look at,” Revenant hissed.

“Yeah?” Tae Joon bared more of neck. “Give it to me.” Guards were gathering around them, guns raised. But he has seen encrypted video of how little those peashooters do against Revenant. If he read him wrong, he’ll be dead, but he was very rarely wrong.

Bangalore put a hand on his shoulder. “Enough of that. You’re not a child. You’re a legend now,” she said to Revenant. “Act like it.”

Revenant dropped him. The guards seemed to calm down but were still tense, ready to try and take down the simulacrum if they had to. “Watch yourself, skinsuit. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

There was a dangerous glint in Tae Joon’s eye. “Don’t I?” He fixed his jacket and sauntered on, following the PR woman.

Bangalore sighed, following him. The guards dispersed now that Revenant wasn’t directly threatening anyone. She stared at the side of Crypto’s head before saying, “Why are you pushing his buttons?” she asked. “Mirage is one thing, but this guy?”

“No harm in having some fun,” he said.

“I don’t think Revenant is the ‘fun’ type.”

Tae Joon blatantly turned to look at the looming figure, gloomily following them. “Oh, I think there is plenty of fun to be had.” Metal fingers curled around his head and pushed him to the side almost sending him stumbling into the wall.

Revenant glared down at him, his arms crossed across his chest. “I thought Mirage was supposed to be the annoying one.” A defensive posture, if he still had human flesh, Tae Joon would bet he’d be blushing.

Bangalore looked at him and shook her head.

* * *

Tae Joon’s brain practically shut down during the interview. He slouched back in his chair, letting Bangalore and Revenant have the spotlight. They were tied for kill leader by the end of the match after all. They answered questions in the exact way he expected they would.

“Bangalore, what do you think of your teammates this match?”

“Crypto has a great tactical mindset and Revenant isn’t afraid of a fight. Both skills that are great in the battlefield.”

“Revenant, how are you settling into the Games?”

“Oh, I’m settling something alright.”

He drowned it out after some point, only tuning back in when they said his call sign. They asked him a few questions, but he managed to answer them in two words or less. But most of the questions went to Revenant. Of course they did, he was still the new guy; the interesting new face. That had been Crypto last season, but they realized that getting answers out of him was like pulling teeth out of a mammoth.

“Crypto, what do you think of Revenant?”

Well that was a very broad question. He thought a lot of things about the man-machine. But perhaps the thing that stood out the most was a kindred spirit; vengeance was their calling and boy did Revenant answer.

“He’s good teammate,” he said. “Helps cover for some mistakes through pure aggression alone.” He paused and looked over at him. “I think I’d like to be on a team with him again.”

Revenant stared at him in shock. He wasn’t sure if the cameras caught it, but looking into his eyes, he saw the other’s optics dilate.

The press room became filled with the chattering of reporters trying to speak over one another and the clicking of cameras. For the rest of the interview, Tae Joon practically shut down, like a toy robot running low on batteries, he only answered in grunts.

As Tae Joon was walking back towards the Legends’ compound, he noticed someone watching him. He always hated that sort of unsettling feeling, especially since he’s gone into hiding. Maybe he should have thought about that before toying with a hunter.

He looked up to meet Revenant’s orange optics. The image of the simulacrum on the ceiling like something from an old horror movie, might forever be embedded in his nightmares. He smirked anyway. “What are you looking at?” he asked, echoing Revenant’s earlier question.

“Skinsuit,” he dropped down, the clank of his metal feet meeting the metal floor. “You insult me and then compliment me. Pick a side!” he snapped.

Tae Joon chuckled. “I’m just teasing you,” he said. “You used to be human, surely you still remember why humans teased each other.”

Revenant pulled him close, leaning over him, forcing him to crane his neck up. “Enlighten me.”

“I’m testing the waters, if you will,” he said. “Because I think you’re interesting.”

Revenant dropped him and backed away like he had been burned. “Stupid skinsuit! The only thing about you that interests me is what your head looks like when it’s ripped of your shoulders!”

“Oh, but you’re interested,” he teased.

“Shut up!”

Tae Joon chuckled, walking past him to the compound. “Next time we’re on different teams, come find me,” he said. “If you can catch me, you can do whatever you want with me.”

“You’ll regret those words.”

He grinned. “Make me.”


	3. Chapter 3

Tae Joon was doing his usual thing, a late night in front of his screen. Most nights, besides the nights before games, he would be up until the early hours of the morning working on one thing or another. The games only occurred once a week and the days after it were filled with down time and training, if the Legends so chose.

At first, he found it odd that training wasn’t mandatory in the Games, but now he realized that it was because the amount of training one does was up to individual. What Legends did outside of the games didn’t matter much (unless they were a PR nightmare), the most important thing was results, and if a Legends’ score started flagging, then they were no longer a Legend. It was their responsibility to keep results up.

Tae Joon himself didn’t have much training he needed to do. Cardio and a few hours at the range was enough for him. His strongest point was his mind and his ability to line up a shot after all. Truth be told, he didn’t do well in close range gun fights; too hectic for his tastes. He liked to take his time to line up the perfect short, an erratic shootout didn’t provide that.

He was doing some digging into Hammond Robotics, a curiosity sparked by the newest Legend. He would have looked into them anyway due to the sudden partnership with the Syndicate and the nature of how mysteriously the corporation revived. Revenant’s appearance in the games tied into that. He read the files detailing how the simulacrum slaughtered top executives of Hammond and anyone who dared to take their place. Those actions could only be attributed to revenge.

And he and Revenant certainly weren’t the only Legends at the games searching for things. Wraith too sought her truth, Revenant sought vengeance, and Tae Joon wanted both.

But unlike the other two, Wraith had gone soft. Of course she still yearned for her story (one that Tae Joon had access to due to his investigations in Kings Canyon), but she was starting to build one of her own here. Her friendship with Mirage and her… something with Wattson, they were dancing around each other too much for him to really put a finger on what they were. As much as she tried to distance herself, he saw how she softened around the others, even in the quiet spaces with Caustic.

Revenant was cruel and took joy in it. The games were perfect for him. Perfectly satiated his need for death, to take life. Tae Joon wondered if Revenant would lose himself in the Games and forget his goals, forget his reason for being here. The perfect prison for an immortal, blood thirsty, killing machine.

Tae Joon grumbled. Getting through Hammond’s firewalls would take time. He stretched and stood from his chair. He was getting peckish. Dinner was at 7pm and it was now 2am. A little post-midnight snack never hurt.

He left his room and made his way to the canteen. He didn’t bother to turn the room’s lights on, he just walked up to the stove and flipped the switch that turned on the lights over the burners. He started boiling a pot of water as he went around the kitchen to grab different ingredients; a packet of instant noodles, an egg, scallions, slices of ham, and bits of chopped pepper. He put them all on the counter near the pot. He grabbed utensils from the drawer and pulled a bowl out of the cabinets.

He bumped into a metal chest when he turned around. He hissed and rubbed where his forehead met hard metal. “Ppalgan, careful where you stand.”

“I was wondering what that sound was,” Revenant said. “Looks like I found a rat in the kitchen.” He grabbed Tae Joon by the waist, right where his t-shirt ended, and poised his fingers into its stabbing form. “Perhaps I should do everyone a favor and exterminate it.”

Tae Joon raised an unimpressed brow. He pushed away the hand with his chopsticks and slipped out of the hold. “Wait until we’re inside the Games, Baegchi,” He checked to see if the water was boiling. Not yet, but it had small bubbles sticking to the sides of the pot. “Do you eat?” he asked.

“Stupid question from a stupid man,” Revenant said. Tae Joon grabbed the cutting board and started to chop the scallions. “What are you doing up so late? Isn’t it past your bedtime?” he asked mockingly.

“I was looking into something,” Tae Joon said, shrugging. “I got hungry. And you?”

“I don’t have such inefficient needs.”

“You mean sleep and food?”

“Wastes of time.”

Tae Joon chuckled. “I agree. But there’s something nice about them.”

“Sounds like human folly to me.”

He thought of Mila and Mystik. He thought of how Mila used to sneak into his bed when she had a nightmare, or simply wanted the comfort of having her forever family close by. He thought of the dinner they had all gathered around the table, filling the room with chatter and laughter. He missed Mila, he missed Mystik. But he couldn’t go home, not yet, maybe never.

The water was boiling. He walked over and took off the cover, dumping the powdered seasoning and adding the chopped peppers. He stirred it together before adding the noodles. He walked over to the cabinet and grabbed another small bowl.

Revenant was following him around the kitchen, looking over his head like a curious puppy, but Tae Joon would never say that out loud. He cracked the egg into the pot, letting it float next to the noodles. He took out his phone to check the time and left it on the counter. He waited there, leaning up against the counter as he stared at Revenant.

Revenant stared back.

“Are you just going to watch?” Tae Joon asked.

He scoffed. “I won’t help.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to,” he said. “I like your company.”

He scowled. “Is this you teasing me?”

“No,” Tae Joon smiled at him. “You’re not obnoxiously loud like Witt or Octavio, nor completely silent like Bloodhound or Caustic.” He checked the time again and scooped the egg into the smaller bowl, still jiggly with yolk but not underdone. “You’re strange, sure,” he admitted, “but that’s not a bad thing.”

Revenant huffed and crossed his arms. “You’re the strange one here.”

Tae Joon ran his chopsticks through the noodle and swirled them around, lifting them into his bowl and poured soup over it. He took the slices of ham and ripped in up with his hands, putting it on top along with the scallions before transferring the egg to the that bowl as well. He filled the smaller bowl with the leftover noodles and soup and whatever ham and scallions were left. “Eat with me,” he said, holding out the small bowl to Revenant.

The simulacrum stared down at the tiny bowl. “I don’t eat.”

He rolled his eyes and placed the small bowl on the large island in the middle of the kitchen. “Sit with me then,” he said dragging over a stool. He placed his bowl down and waited for Revenant to sit down. Maybe it was the shock of it all, but instead of disappearing like Tae Joon thought he might, he eventually sat down in the other stool. “Here,” Tae Joon handed over his chopsticks and reach over to dig in the drawer to get a new set.

“I still don’t eat,” he said, staring down at the tiny chopsticks between his fingers.

“I know,” he assured. “Do you know how to hold chopsticks?”

“I-” he stuttered and paused, maybe looking through his memory bank. “No.”

“Here,” he held his hand out for Revenant to see. “You hold this one like a pencil, this is the one on the top. And this one,” he moved the other stick to the crook of his thumb, resting on top of his ring finger. “Goes there. The top one is the only one that moves,” he moved the chopsticks to show him.

Revenant tried to do the same, but, and maybe it was due to his fingers being mechanical, they looked stiff and the chopsticks were crossed in an X. When he tried to move his fingers, the chopsticks moved at the same time.

Tae Joon laughed. “You’re terrible at this, Ppalgan.” He was being glared at. He didn’t want the other to leave, so he quieted himself to giggles, before being able to stop completely. But he was still grinning. “You’re holding them too hard.”

“I’m not! You’re just shit at giving instructions.”

“Just watch me then,” he said, grabbing some noodles and depositing them in his spoon. “Truth be told, I didn’t learn from instruction either,” he admitted. “I just watched how my family held it. Well, my mother really, my sister was worse than you.”

That sat close together, their knees knocking into each other occasionally. Tae Joon ate quietly as Revenant tried to figure out how to hold chopsticks. He even attempted to pick up noodles at one point, but it was less of him being able to utilize the chopsticks and more getting them under and lifting up.

“Baegchi,” he said. “I don’t think you’re watching.”

“Watching you isn’t helping,” he snapped.

Tae Joon ate what was on his spoon and held out his chopsticks. He patted Revenant’s arm to get his attention. He opened and closed his chopsticks a few times, waiting for the other to try.

Revenant put his hand next to his and tried to copy the movement. He was doing better, still a bit stiff, but at least his fingers were moving independently from each other. Tae Joon made an excited noise and beamed up at him.

Revenant’s optics widened.

Tae Joon swallowed his food. “That was pretty good,” he said. The simulacrum just stared at him like maybe the processors in that metal skull weren’t working right. “Ppalgan,” he said, smiling softly at him. “You still with me?”

“What? Oh, uh, yeah,” he said rather dumbly. Despite the raspy, haunting sort of voice, it was still cute to hear him mesmerized like that. That he caused him to be mesmerized like that.

“Go on, try now,” he gestured to the bowl. Revenant gingerly lifted a couple stands of noodles, actually using the chopsticks this time. “You’re a natural, Ppalgan,” he complimented.

“Why do you call me that?”

“Hm?”

What does it mean?”

“Ppalgan?”

“Yes.”

“Red,” Tae Joon said. “Because you’re dressed in red.”

“That’s stupid.”

“What would you rather me call you?”

“Revenant.”

“Really?” Tae Joon quirked a brow. “It’s kind of a dumb call sign and a mouth full.”

Revenant’s hand clenched into a fist. “I’ll give you a mouth full!”

“Yeah?” he smirked. “You gonna fill me up?” He licked the corner of his lips, getting the hint of saltiness from the lingering soup.

His eyes narrowed on him. Back to glaring, then. “You’re teasing me again.”

Tae Joon hooked his ankle behind Revenant’s. “It could be an invitation.”

Revenant startled out of the chair, almost falling over.

“Careful, Ppalgan,” he said, chuckling as he cleared away the dishes.

“Stop that,” he hissed.

He deposited the bowls into the sink and ran water over them. “Do you really not like it?” he genuinely asked. If it truly bothered the simulacrum, he wouldn’t be cruel about it.

Revenant huffed and crossed his arms. “I don’t care. Do whatever you want, dumb skinsuit.” He stomped over to the door.

“This was nice,” Tae Joon said to his back. He paused at the doorway. “We should do this again sometime.”

“No promises.”

“Goodnight, Ppalgan.”

Revenant’s fingers gripped the metal doorway, bending it slightly. “Night,” he mumbled before fleeing down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (Just in case anyone needs it):  
> Ppalgan: Red  
> Baegchi: Idiot


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I made the fatal mistake of writing something for a ship I didn't really care about, but now I can't stop thinking about it. This one chapter is 3k words, chapters 1-3 have a combined total of 3k words. Oh. How I have fallen. 
> 
> Oh btw this chapter bumped up the rating to an M.  
> TW for Choking and Death????????

Crypto and Revenant had been on the same team for the past few matches. Although, through his ‘extracurricular’ activities, he knew that the Syndicate had rigged it so that their next few matches would be together. Apparently, Crypto talking more than a sentence about a teammate really attracted an audience.

That was what he got for playing the hard-silent type. He should have just kept his mouth shut. Every interview after, reporters tried to pry more words from him, pressing him about Revenant and their teamwork. He hated all the attention he was getting. He went back to the one or two word answers, but they still kept trying to ask him questions. And even worse, Revenant stopped insulting him, but he continued to shit on the other Legends, which gossip blogs loved.

What he wouldn’t give to go back to when they hardly even looked at him. And the PR team informed him that his merchandise has been flying off the shelves; up by 64%.

Imagine if they knew Tae Joon and Revenant met regularly in the canteen late at night, chatting or watching videos on Tae Joon’s phone, their legs pressed together, and their heads bowed close as they stared at the small screen.

But drama was juicier if it was preceded by serenity. They were finally put on opposing teams, both with full squads of Legends; Crypto with Wattson and Caustic, Revenant with Pathfinder and Octane.

Tae Joon knew a whole day ahead of time, of course. But he didn’t even need to hack the Syndicate to see what their plan was. They gave Crypto a fully defensive squad, Wattson like to land more on the outskirts of the map, less gung-ho than the other Legends. Caustic was a bit soft on her, at least compared to anyone else on the ship, and would follow her lead. Revenant wanted blood, Octane wanted the high of getting kills or being killed, and Pathfinder would follow them anywhere. They would drop hot. Assuming no one got caught out, both teams would likely be in the top five.

Revenant was sitting in Tae Joon’s space as the ship flew over to the drop zone, he sat on the couch as the hacker was looking through some code. “Think we’ll get lucky enough to be on the same team again, Ppalgan?” Tae Joon asked. He knew they wouldn’t be, but he wondered what Revenant knew.

He scoffed. “Who knows,” he said, raspy voice next to his head. “Twenty teams, sixty fighters, and we happened to be on the same team five times in a row?” He admired his nails. “Seems unlikely.”

Tae Joon hummed. “You’re not wrong.” The clicking of his keyboard was the loudest thing between them. He didn’t even need to look at the other to know orange eyes were locked on the back of his head.

Revenant’s eyes were filled with suspicion. “Playing a game?” Vague enough to mean nothing, but enough for Tae Joon to get his meaning.

Tae Joon liked being on Revenant’s team. Their win rate together was currently 80%, four out of their five games played together were wins and the fifth being in the top four. But Tae Joon wouldn’t risk his cover like that just to be on Revenant’s team.

He grinned. “Always, but that,” he gestured generally to the boards that would announce the teams, “that’s not my game.”

“What game are you playing then?”

Tae Joon turned in his seat to fully face him. He slid his foot next to Revenant’s, lifting his foot just enough to let the toe of his boot brush against the other’s ankle. “Take a guess, Ppalgan.”

Revenant kicked his chair away, rattling his desk and almost making him topple over it. “Insufferable cretin!” All the heads in the room turned towards them. He crossed his arms and stomped off.

Tae Joon shrugged to the other Legends to let them know it wasn’t a big deal. The screens above them turned on announce the teams. He already knew what the teams were and didn’t bother to look up. He walked over to his team and rolled his shoulders.

As expected, Wattson pinged The Tree, while the hot zone was in the West Fragment. Revenant’s team was dropping ahead of them. They glanced at each other as they readied to jump.

Tae Joon smirked at him. “Na jab-a bwala.”

“What?” was all Revenant managed to ask, confused, before he was forced out of the ship by Octane.

“I didn’t realize you and Revenant were so close,” Wattson said, eyeing the large white leaf of the Tree. Honestly, they should have just named it The Leaf.

Crypto shrugged. “He’s surprisingly fun to be around.”

“I certainly wasn’t expecting you to have a death wish,” Caustic said, on the edge of the platform. “Might I suggest, donating your body to science.”

Crypto chuckled. “Revenant and I have an agreement,” he said.

“Sounds dangerous,” Wattson said. They jumped, driving headfirst towards her ping. Crypto and Caustic broke off in different directions. There was one other team with them but didn’t have anyone remarkable with them. “You know, Crypto,” she continued. “There are less dangerous ways to get someone’s attention.”

“Are you really the one to be lecturing me about getting someone’s attention?” Crypto asked lightheartedly.

“Clear comms please,” Caustic said as they touched down.

Wattson sputtered. Opening a crate. “That’s not fair!” she said, despondent.

Crypto shoved a door open and grabbed the gun and shield that was on the ground. “Perhaps you should stop being so subtle,” he suggested. “A more direct approach would be more efficient.”

“I don’t think that applies here,” she said.

He gunned down a woman before she could even pick up a gun. “I’ve been direct with Revenant, and we’ve only gotten closer.”

“Clear comms please.”

“But Renee and Revenant are two very different people.”

“That may be so,” Crypto said, he heard gun fire from Caustic’s end, but the scientist wasn’t asking for help so it must be him doing the shooting. “But they are both awkward and standoffish. The direct approach is really the only way to get through to people like them.”

“You think so?”

“CLEAR COMMS PLEASE!” Caustic shouted. Crypto cleared his throat which caused Wattson to giggle. Caustic heaved a sigh. “I am surrounded by imbeciles.

“Oh, come now, Alexander,” Wattson said, her tone light. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been young and in love.”

“I am in love with science,” he said flatly.

“I suppose we all are,” she said. “Some perhaps more than others.”

“Please be quiet,” he said.

“Oh, I get it,” Crypto said. “It is because you are attracted to a woman who is capable of bending spacetime and I am growing ever closer to a simulacrum.”

“I’m muting comms.”

Wattson and Crypto spend a large part of that game chasing after Caustic, asking him to rejoin the comms channel. All while destroying any team that came across them. Sure, they were goofing off just a bit, it was hard to resist, Wattson just brought that childishness out of people, but Crypto was constantly checking his drone. Caustic always barricaded entrances with his gas canisters and Wattson closed off any doorways he missed.

Crypto pinged anyone who got close his drone and peeked into the Syndicate’s systems to see how many teams were in their area. With all that, his team was never caught off guard.

They had just finished off a team and looting their deathboxes when his drone pinged movement for him. His drone was pretty far, almost out of range, which meant he had plenty of time to warn his teammates.

“Got something on my drone,” he said, pulling out the cube from his pocket. His HUD came up and he took a look around. Suddenly, his drone was yanked down, familiar thin metallic fingers covered part of the lens before moving and revealing Revenant.

“Crypto,” he mumbled to the drone. “I know you’re watching. You must be close. I’ll find you, and I’ll catch you. And then, I get to know what it’s like to have your blood on my hands.” He chuckled deeply, raspy in a way that Crypto felt scratch down his chest and stomach. “I can’t wait.” He spotted Octane and Pathfinder running past as Revenant covered the lens with his hand, turning the screen black.

Crypto shut off the feed quickly and pocketed his cube. He had not been notified that his drone was destroyed, but he couldn’t recall it either. Revenant must be holding onto it.

“Revenant, Octane, and Pathfinder inbound,” he said. “I don’t think this is a fight we can take.”

“Oh, Crypto, you can’t be afraid to fight your friend,” Wattson said, raising her hemlock.

“No, we are exposed here,” he said, gesturing to the open space they were running through. “We would be at a clear disadvantage.”

“Astute observation,” Caustic said, he pinged the Lava Fissure. “Let’s go there.”

They ran over to the buildings, Crypto looking over his shoulder every so often to see if Revenant or his squad caught up. Once they got into the buildings and restocked on ammo, he checked his drone again. The screen was black and white with static; out of range then. He pocketed his cube. He was at a little bit of a loss now that he had nothing to scout with. His usefulness on the team resided in the information he could provide. And right now, he could do nothing but watch as his team set up in one of the houses on the far end of the Fissure.

Where was Revenant and his team? Did they go a different way? He checked his cube again. Nothing.

He sighed. At least they were inside the next circle. Only four squads left. Looked like his prediction was right. He considered denying the Syndicate their desired result; die to a team that wasn’t Revenant’s. But he wasn’t about to throw the game just to be petty.

An arc star hit one of their doors. It blew to pieces. Crypto and Wattson raised their arms to block any shards that might have gone into their faces.

“Where did that come from?” Wattson asked. She placed down her Pylon, protecting them from anymore incoming grenades.

Crypto pulled out his cube to check, but his screen was still static. He growled. Of all the times for Revenant to be holding onto his drone. Perhaps he should function a self-destruct on it. “My drone is out of commission.”

“Still?”

“I think Revenant is holding onto it.”

“How inconvenient,” Caustic said, placing a gas trap by the now breached door.

He gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t have his EMP for this last fight. He felt so useless, so… powerless. For all his tactical capabilities, it was a lot harder to do when he didn’t have his little eye in the sky. If he saw Revenant, he was taking him down first, he needed his drone back.

There was a roar and the distant sound of a bird flapping its wings. Bloodhound. That was not good. The doors were being kicked it. Caustic’s gas was going off. Bloodhound could see through Caustic’s gas, but Crypto and Wattson, though not affected, wouldn’t be able to see through it.

Crypto grunted as a bullet found its way into his shoulder and side. He heard Wattson cry out. Damn, Bloodhound practically had a shooting gallery. He climbed up the stairs to get to cover. The gas didn’t reach up here yet. He looked out of the window and saw Wraith waiting outside for the gas to dissipate. He unloaded a whole clip of his carbine into her before she was able to ghost out, hiding behind a rock.

Wattson was down but she managed to climb up the stairs. He and Wraith were poking at each other, but one bullet of her wingman hurt far worse than one bullet of his carbine. He grunted as a bullet hit just under his ribs. He ran to the other door, pulling Wattson with him.

Caustic was keeping anyone from coming in; he had time. He panted as he stabbed a syringe into his teammate only just managing to pull her up. “Put up your fence,” he said.

She did just that as they started healing back up. Caustic killed the other team’s third who made the mistake of trying to push in to finish off Wattson and Crypto. He then proceeded to kill Bloodhound who had tried to help the poor kid.

Crypto climbed onto the roof and had his scope trained on the rock Wraith was hiding behind. “Scare her out from behind there,” he said into his comms. A grenade flew towards the rock and just as he predicted, Wraith tried to run, hide somewhere else. He used the opportunity to shoot her down. “That’s the squad,” he called out as her deathbox appeared.

“Healing,” Caustic called out. More bullets came flying at the house, destroying Wattson’s Pylon. A grenade followed soon after, downing him. “I’m down!”

Crypto cursed under his breath. He peeked out, trying to determine where the shot came from. His mistake. A sniper shot nailed him. Kraber. In the hands of Lineline. Deadly combo. He crawled his way back to the balcony and into the house. Wattson went downstairs to put down more fences and tried to pick up Caustic.

Crypto collapsed against the edge of the small bed, dirty sheets strewn about. He heard the shootout that was happening outside on the platforms above the lava. Maybe Wattson could actually pick Caustic back up and they could heal. He had a golden knockdown, he pulled out the emergency syringe in there, easier to access while one was dying. But those hopes were swiftly dashed when he got the ping that Wattson was downed and soon after, that both of his teammates were finished.

Metal feet clanked quietly as he came up the stairs. Revenant. Those haunting orange eyes. On him. His heart quickened.

Crypto groaned as he tried to sit up more. He could still hear the shooting outside. “Ppalgan,” he said quietly.

“I found you,” he said hauntingly, pulling out the drone from his pocket and throwing it on the ground.

“That-” he hissed, something in his side wasn’t right. “That you did.”

“You’re mine to do with as I please.” He stepped over to Crypto.

“No. You didn’t catch me.” His fingers twitched towards him.

“Yet here you lay at my feet.”

“You gonna take the credit for someone else’s work? I thought you were better than that, Ppalgan.” He beckoned Revenant closer. “Your team is still fighting.”

Revenant grunted and stood right next to him, kicking away the dirty sheets and old magazines. “I’m aware. But if they can’t even win a 2v2 when one of the enemies is using a sniper then they don’t deserve the win.”

Crypto chuckled and pushed the syringe into his chest, gasping at the instant dulling of pain.

Revenant grabbed his wingman and raised it to Crypto’s head. “You can’t possibly think I’ll let you do that, fool.”

Crypto let out a shaky groan, leaning into Revenant’s space. There was a slight jolt as he rested his forehead on the other’s shin. “Take the kill,” he gasped as he pressed the plug down all the way. “I only want to see your name next to mine on the kill feed,” he said. He sucked in a breath and grasped the leg in front of him. He panted harshly as the syringe finished doing its job. He rested his cheek on Revenant’s leg and looked up at him.

Revenant stared down at him; shock and awe all mixed in on his face.

Crypto chuckled. “I like that look on you.”

“Silence! You’re beaten! You’ve lost and yet you still think you get to be cheeky!”

“You didn’t catch me,” he said against his leg. “You lost.”

“That’s some perspective you have there, brat.” He kicked Crypto down and crouched down next to him.

“You lost, Ppalgan,” he panted. “You don’t get to choose how this ends.”

Revenant chuckled, dark and menacing.

“I want you to kill me.”

Revenant grew quiet. His eyes widened. Then he turned away and scoffed. “That’s the inevitable.”

“Come here,” Crypto demanded. “Give me your hands.”

“You must be joking.”

“Ppalgan,” he said reaching for his hands. “I get to choose how this ends.”

Revenant scoffed. “Fine, I’ll humor you.”

He held out his hands for Crypto, who tugged on them. Revenant had to adjust his position, hovering right over him, their legs intertwining. He moved Revenant’s hands to where his neck met his jawline.

Crypto felt a twitch as the fingers grazed his cheeks. One hand traveled up, rubbing a thumb over his cheeks and up to his cheek bones, until Revenant was simply cupping the side of his face. Crypto hummed and leaned into the touch.

His other hand did the same, running over the warm skin, pressing down on the plush lips. Crypto let out a breath, nearly a moan, letting Revenant’s thumb into his mouth. It pressed down on his tongue, muffling any sound he was trying to make. He swiped his tongue over the metal, groaning at the taste of iron.

Revenant’s orange eyes stared down at him intently, drinking in the image. He wondered if the simulacrum’s eyes could take pictures. Would he be taking them now? Crypto mussed, panting, red beneath him; what a picture that would make. 

Crypto gasped as Revenant’s hunched over him more, bringing himself closer to his prize, his leg inadvertently pressing against his crotch. His thumb moved out of his mouth and swiped over his lips, leaving them wet with spit.

Crypto turned his face slightly to press a kiss to the metal palm and shot Revenant a sultry look. There was a quiet whirring sound and then something hard pressing into his pelvis. He didn’t need to look down to know what it was.

“Next time, Ppalgan,” he promised. “Next time.”

He reached up to Revenant’s hands, holding them in his own. He slowly dragged the hands back down over his neck and kept them there. “Kill me, Ppalgan,” he breathed. “No blood.”

His breathing stuttered as he felt hands squeeze around his neck, legs pressing into his hardening cock. He arched up slightly against Revenant’s to return the favor. Revenant growled.

“Make it quick, Ppalgan. I’ll see you on the other side.”

Crypto closed his eyes and Revenant snapped his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (If anyone needs it):  
> Ppalgan: Red  
> Na jab-a bwala: Catch me


	5. Chapter 5

Getting third place was honestly not as bad as some made it out to be. Third place still got prize money, they still did pretty good, and best part was that they didn’t have to do any sort of interview. And Crypto didn’t want to be anywhere near a reporter right now. He buried his face in his hands just thinking about what happened just before he was eliminated.

What was he thinking? There were probably cameras all over them.

As soon as he got out of medical, he very briskly walked to his room. He had checked the official Apex Games stream and ran it back to see if _it_ was live streamed. And much to his delighted surprise, it was not. Thank the stars. Mystik did not need to see her son in such a precarious… position.

But They had to have had it somewhere in their database. Especially since Revenant and Crypto were very purposefully, placed against each other. Perhaps that was just not the sort of… drama the Syndicate was looking from them. Or more likely, storing it to use as potential blackmail later.

Ah, he really shouldn’t have done that. But Revenant, when he came up those stairs, his frame, his eyes, those slow measured steps. All he could think about was Revenant.

Tae Joon was bemoaning it in his room, considering all the options he could take. He could delete it off the Syndicate’s system. But they probably made copies of it already. And if that data did get deleted, they would know which resident hacker to look for.

He needed to run diagnostics on his drone, make sure Revenant didn’t tamper with it. Revenant. Ah, he needed to get out of here. The games were over, the results were in; he could do whatever he wanted. And what he wanted was to get out of here. He didn’t want to think about how he possibly ruined his reputation in the few minutes it took for him to die.

He took a quick shower, rinsing off all the dirt and grim from the games. He ran a hand over his neck. Phantom fingers ghosting over where Revenant pressed down. His mind when to the spindly metal fingers, the chill it brought running down his spine. He thought of his tongue pressing against the thumb. Damn. He might have it bad.

He hopped out quickly drying his body and rifling through his closet to find something to wear. Black jeans and a black turtleneck couldn’t go wrong. He laced up his black boots and pulled on his necklace with varying types of USBs. He put on a cap and his black face mask before grabbing his puffy olive-green parka; he didn’t want to be recognized on the streets after all. He pocketed his phone, Games ID, cube and drone; never leave the compound without it.

He walked out of his room and headed to the vehicle hangar. If he hurried, he could avoid all the reporters and anyone else who might decide to bother him.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Revenant. “Ppalgan,” he said, a sigh on his lips. “Did you win?”

“That’s a given.” He stepped closer. His eyes roved over Tae Joon. “Running away?”

“Yeah,” Tae Joon held out a hand, “Run away with me?” Revenant looked between the hand and him. He looked hesitant, he stopped moving towards him. Ah, too far maybe. He chuckled. “I’m joking. I’m going to the city,” he said. “Come with?”

He tilted his head. “You want me walking around in a city full of people?”

He snorted. “Are you going to kill the whole city, Ppalgan?”

“Maybe.” He didn’t even need a mouth to project that grin in his voice.

“Well, don’t,” Tae Joon said encouraging him to take his outstretched hand. “Let’s go on a date.” If Mila could see him now, he doesn’t think he has ever been this forward in his life.

Revenant slapped the hand away, but forcefully dragged him by the back of his jacket towards the hangar. “I’m not going on a date with vermin like you.”

“So romantic, Ppalgan.”

“Shut up,” he hissed. “Are you going to be this annoying the whole time?”

“You like it.” Tae Joon grinned at him. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Revenant shoved his face away. “You’re wrong.”

They both got into the car, Tae Joon in the driver’s seat. It was a sleek black car, Syndicate owned, and Legend permitted only. As he was plugging in the coordinates for the town, something dawned on him. “Are you allowed out of the compound?” he asked Revenant.

“Don’t know. Why?”

Tae Joon hummed thoughtfully. “Under the circumstance in which you were admitted into the Games,” a replacement for Forge, who Revenant murdered during an interview, and was now kept here so that They could keep an eye on him. “I doubt you are.”

Revenant chuckled. “You know about that?”

He grinned. “Baegchi, I know a lot of things.” He pulled out his cube and unhooked a USB from his necklace positioning over the car’s port. “We’ll know if the car starts screaming at us.”

He tried to start the car, but lights started flashing red. Tae Joon immediately plugged in the USB and went into the cube to shut it down. “Mm. I don’t think you’re allowed outside the compound, Ppalgan.” He went into the system and deleted the alert from the history and made it so the car couldn’t detect Revenant’s presence; much easier than making it so Revenant could leave. “Shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

Revenant stared at him. “Just like that?”

He smirked back. “Just like that.”

The car was self-driving, so they just leaned back as the car drove them 20 minutes to the nearest town. Tae Joon was scrolling through his phone, turning it to show Revenant a picture every so often.

“We’re going to find you some clothes when we get into town,” Tae Joon said.

“I don’t need clothes.”

“You stand out too much like that.” He sighed. “I would have leant you my clothes, but they’re too small.”

“I don’t need clothes.”

“Did you think I wore this mask for nothing?” He pulled his mask down. “I don’t want to be recognized.”

“They won’t recognize you, if they’re looking at me.”

“Ppalgan,” he pressed his hands together. “Please?”

Revenant groaned. “I don’t know how any amount of clothing is going to hide me.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Tae Joon grinned at him. He stared at the prongs standing up on his shoulders. “Do those go down at all?” If the answer was no, then he might not be able to take care of it at all.

Revenant huffed and they folded in. Tae Joon threw his drone out and went into his cube. A green light scanned over the simulacrum, causing him to hiss. “What did you do?”

“Getting your proportions,” he said. He tabbed out of the drone controls and went on to access the internet. He looked up the stores in the town and picked one that was to his tastes. He put the address into the car.

He was looking through their clothing selection when he felt a cold hand caress his neck. He gasped, like being shot in the Games, the shock of it logged him off his consol. He looked at Revenant who pressed lightly on the exposed synthetic skin, just under his jaw.

“Ppalgan?” he questioned. His only response was that hand trailing down to his chest. “Revenant?” That earned him a fist around his necklace and tugging him closer. “Hey, those are delicate,” he chastised.

Revenant didn’t seem to care. “What are you?”

Tae Joon met his eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Wrong answer. He was tugged harshly, falling across the seat divider, messily into Revenant’s lap. “Did they send you? Keep me placated? Satisfied? Keep me from killing them all?”

“Ppalgan, stop,” Tae Joon hissed. Now in an uncomfortable position where one foot was still on the driver’s side, a hand braced against the window, and his other leg having all his weight pressed down onto an edge of Revenant’s hard metal leg.

“Why?” he asked mockingly. “Because I’m right? Because you’re afraid I’ll hurt you?”

Tae Joon glared at him. “No.” He leaned in, right by his ear. “Not here,” he whispered, grasping onto his shoulders. “Not in a car They own. Later. Okay?”

Revenant begrudgingly let go. “Fine.”

He got himself in a more comfortable position, straddling Revenant’s legs. “Ppalgan, if you wanted an excuse to have me in your lap, you could have just said so.”

“You’re unbelievable!” He tried to push Tae Joon away from him, but there wasn’t anywhere for him to really go. It was a good thing these windows were blacked out, otherwise any passersby could just look up to see Crypto in Revenant’s lap in the passenger side of a car.

Tae Joon laughed. “Want me to get you off?” he asked.

Revenant sputtered.

He put a hand on the other’s pelvis. “I did tell you next time, yeah?”

“How can you be so lewd?” he hissed.

He pressed his body closer, wrapping one hand around Revenant’s neck. “Tell me no,” his voice dipping lower. “Tell me to stop and I will.” He pressed a kiss to the side of the other’s face plate, there were a few scratches there. Tae Joon wondered if he should ask. He pressed another kiss over them.

Revenant stared at him, frozen, his hands hanging in the air. It wasn’t a no or a stop. In fact, he was no longer trying to push Tae Joon away. But he wasn’t doing anything. And that, more than anything, halted his confidence.

Did Revenant not want this? Well, he definitely wanted something during that last game. Maybe that was that just a murder boner. Tae Joon could believe Revenant got hard during intense kills. Was he frozen due to shock? Maybe he was just afraid of losing the closeness, the friendship, Tae Joon provided and couldn’t bring himself to say no.

Tae Joon leaned back. He looked at the screen, they were two minutes away from the store. He stopped the car and got out of the car. “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll be right back with your clothes.” He locked the door behind him. Not that Revenant needed to be locked in, but he didn’t want a potential thief to die trying to steal a car with a simulacrum sat inside it.

Now that he thought about it, Revenant never really reciprocated his advances. He’d turn away or lash out in embarrassment. But what if that was it, simple embarrassment? Maybe. Maybe he should just drop it. Let Revenant pick it back up if he wanted to.

He was browsing the store’s clothes when his drone pinged a notification. He sighed and pulled out his cube. Revenant was poking at the lens with his finger. He opened the channel between the cube and his drone. “Stop that,” he said. “That’s delicate machinery.”

“Then why did you leave it in here with me?”

“I didn’t want you to feel lonely.” He wiggled his drone’s wings around as if they were arms. They could still be friendly. Tae Joon could do that if friendship was all Revenant wanted.

He scoffed. “I’ve been on my own for more than two hundred years.”

“Really? You don’t look a day over 150.” He picked out an oversized red zip up hoodie and the oversized part was just the style of it, he then proceeded to pick up a large; he kind of had to when the wearer was 7 feet tall.

“Cheeky brat,” Revenant said.

“Don’t be mean to the person who’s going to dress you up. I’ll make you look like a clown.” He picked up a white t-shirt with rips at the bottom and black joggers. He saw a pair of brown boots and took those too.

“Oh, so scary,” he said mockingly.

“I’ll make you walk back to the compound.”

“Sounds like a nice long walk to me.”

“I’ll EMP the whole car if I have to.” He thanked the woman at the register, carrying his purchase in a nice white bag.

“I’ll leave the car.”

“Don’t leave the car. I’m almost back.”

“But what if I want to?”

“Then I can’t be seen with you,” he said.

Revenant stayed silent. He checked to see if the comm was still up. It was. Maybe Revenant really did just want to spend some time with him. He threw the clothes at the other and slid into the driver’s side. “Promise I won’t peek,” he said.

“Get out of the damned car,” he hissed.

Tae Joon sighed. He grabbed his drone and got back out. He browsed his phone as he leaned against the hood of the car. Natalie was texting him about the match, saying they would get the win next time. He replied only stating that she should follow his advice and be direct with Renee. She replied with a thumbs up. Elliot was calling for a post-game party, which he always did, many of the legends went, the only ones who almost always opted out was Alexander and Revenant. Bloodhound and Crypto only showed up occasionally.

The car door shut. Revenant looked miffed, pointedly not looking at Tae Joon. “I feel ridiculous,” he said.

Tae Joon beckoned Revenant to bend down a bit, so he could adjust the scarf, covering up more of his face and pulling up the hood. Not a bad look. His hand lingered on the scarf, right by his cheek. “I think you look good,” he complimented.

Revenant straightened back out and Tae Joon remembered how big the difference in their height was; more than a foot. “Where did you want to go?” he asked.

“You sure you can’t eat?” Tae Joon asked.

“I don’t have a digestive tract.”

“Oh, but you have a mouth?” Truth be told, Tae Joon wasn’t sure. Revenant never opened his mouth when he spoke, but why would they give a simulacrum lips and that jawline if it didn’t have an operational mouth.

“Yes.”

Tae Joon said. “I want food.”

“Where?”

He grabbed his hand and pulled him along. “This way.”

Something in his chest sang when Revenant didn’t pull away. Rather, the simulacrum kept looking between their joined hands and Tae Joon. Any time he caught the other staring, he smiled. Gah, what happened to dropping it? But Revenant had room to pull away, he wasn’t pressuring him, right?

They were stood at a red light when Tae Joon looked down at his phone. Elliot was badgering him to come to the party. Since he didn’t come to the last one, he _had_ to come to this one. He rolled his eyes and said that wasn’t in his contract.

Revenant squeezed his hands to get him to look up; it was their turn to walk.

They walked into a burger joint. The waitress’ eyes started trail up to Revenant’s face. He managed to avert her gaze when he spoke. “Table for two, preferably a booth.”

“Of course,” she said. “Right this way.” She sat them in the booth and left them to look at the menus. Tae Joon took the seat the overlooked the restaurant, while Revenant’s back was the only thing visible to the patrons.

The waitress came back with two glasses of water and took out her notepad. “Are you ready?”

Tae Joon nodded. “I want a frontier deluxe,” he said. “My friend here just wants my fries.”

The waitress smiled at them. “Coming right up.”

When she was back at the counter, Revenant looked up at him. “Why is it that you always eat when we talk?”

Tae Joon shrugged off his jacket. “You can come to my room and talk to me whenever you want,” he said. “I’m usually in there.” He pulled down his mask to drink some water.

“Whenever I want.”

“Yeah,” he said. “If it’s you, I don’t mind.”

“You! Ugh,” he turned away from the other, staring at the metal fingers clasped together on the table. “You said you’d tell me later. It’s later. Tell me.”

Tae Joon sighed and leaned back in his seat. “I don’t know if I can answer all your questions,” he said. “What do you want to know?”

“Where you sent by them?” he asked. “Did they send you keep me in check?”

He scoffed. “Quite the opposite.”

“Explain,” he hissed.

“You’re not the only one in the Games seeking vengeance,” he said, fiddling with the straw on the table. “But unlike you, I also want the truth, and that takes a little more… discretion.”

Revenant chuckled, the same foreboding one that resonated inside the Games. It was so distinct, so iconic to the simulacrum, that Tae Joon panicked for a second, he looked around the restaurant, checking if they drew anyone’s eyes. “So you wanted to use me?”

“That was never my intention,” Tae Joon said.

“Liar!” he hissed.

The waitress was coming back. Tae Joon flicked his eyes over Revenant’s shoulder twice. He seemed to get the hint and ducked his head before she arrived. “One frontier deluxe and your waffle fries!”

“Thank you,” he said, waiting for her to leave before pushing his fries over to the Revenant. He took a bite of his burger, the bun was soft, the bacon crispy, and sauce was damned good. He swallowed.

“When I read your file, I thought I found someone like me,” he chuckled to himself. “Not in the typical sense, just someone I could relate to. Even with your murderous psychopathic tendencies.” He paused to eat a fry. “Maybe that’s why I gave you a chance. I watched you. That’s why I saw what others missed.”

Revenant scoffed. “And what did they miss?”

“You,” he said. “What you were trying to hide underneath all that violence.”

“I am death incarnate.”

“And yet you’re here with me.” Sitting with him, waiting for him to finish eating, wearing clothes he picked out for him, out in the city on a date, holding his hand. It all went unsaid, but all of it came back to being with Tae Joon. “You were human before they made you what you are,” he said. “I just wanted to remind you what that felt like.”

Revenant watched him as he ate. Eventually he picked up a waffle fry between his metal fingers, fiddling with it. He chipped of the fried bits and ripped it up into tiny bits. “What a fool you are,” he said.

Tae Joon chuckled. “Considering I’m putting myself up against Them, I suppose I am.” Considering he might be falling a little too hard for a murderous simulacrum, he definitely was. He took another bite of his burger. The sauce was starting to drip down his hands, not thinking much of it, he licked it up.

Revenant’s eyes followed the movement.

“Looking a little hungry there, Ppalgan,” he said, tilting his head challengingly. “If you want something, all you have to do is ask.”

Instead of responding harshly or turning away like he expected him to, Revenant simply continued to stare him down. Those orange eyes on him had him squirming slightly in his seat. Now, he felt a bit self-conscious about eating. He never really felt comfortable when people stared at him for too long.

Was that why he was so confident before? Because Revenant would always turn away, flustered? That must have been it. He pushed his clean plate aside and pulled the waffle fries towards him. “Why do you have a mouth if you don’t need it to talk and you don’t eat?” he asked.

“It contains my voice box,” he said. He opened his mouth, but it just looked like a normal person’s mouth, except for a lack of teeth. “See,” the back of his throat lit up orange as he spoke.

Tae Joon nodded, he was tempted to make an insinuating remark, but reminded himself to leave it be. He ate some fries and browsed his phone. “Do you want to go to Elliot’s party later?” he asked.

“And here I thought you were too smart to ask such dumb questions.”

He chuckled. “Thought I’d ask.” He ate his last fry and wiped his hands on a napkin. He waved to their waitress and signaled for a check. “I want ice cream,” he said.

Revenant groaned. “You still want to eat?”

“I died today, I deserve dessert,” he said.

“It’s 40 degrees out.”

“Never too cold for ice cream.”

Once they left the restaurant, Revenant tentatively reached out for Tae Joon’s hand. The unexpected brush of their fingers spooked him, causing him to flinch. Revenant retracted his hand, balling it into a fist.

Tae Joon looked up at him to see his gaze adverted. He smiled and reached for the hand with both hands and pried his fingers loose. He leaned into Revenant as he intertwined their fingers. Damn it, fuck leaving it be. “Aw, Ppalgan,” he said, grinning. “Do you have a crush on me?”

“Gah, let go you leech!” he said, but his weak attempts at pulling his hand free weren’t fooling him.

Tae Joon lifted their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “It’s okay,” he mumbled into the metal. “I think I might have a crush on you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (just in case you need it):  
> Ppalgan: Red  
> Baegchi: Idiot


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some notes:   
> When I was writing this, I was writing it as if a deleted scene from Ch. 5 was still in there and under the assumption that they've been together for a little bit. So Revenant has a little more confidence in their relationship. I'll be publishing that deleted scene as part of this series so you'll see it next time I upload, I just didn't upload it as part of Ch. 5 because I thought it didn't fit quite right. 
> 
> This is it for this 5+1 series! I hoped you guys enjoyed it. I do want to write a bit more for these two. The notes at the end will go a little more into the potential continuation of this series.

Revenant was on the bed, reclined and scrolling through the web. Most nights he spent in Tae Joon’s room doing whatever. It was either that or skulking the halls to scare any unsuspecting passerby. Honestly, Tae Joon was doing them all a favor.

He wasn’t entirely sure if the other Legends suspected something was going on between them, but no one has mentioned it. Tae Joon sure as hell wasn’t going to say anything and Revenant liked to do his own thing; really only coming around at night or to help with Tae Joon’s workouts. He said that the hacker was far too weak and insisted he help round out his skills. 

The entire roster knew that Tae Joon was the closest, really the only person close to Revenant. But did they know that they were a _thing_? Maybe not. And Tae Joon would like to keep it that way. Half the roster had loose lips and he’d much rather not be pestered about it by the media. More importantly, he’d much rather go without Mystik finding out. 

_Honey, is it true that you’re dating that creepy murderous robot that has been suspected in killings all over the frontier since 200 years ago?_

_Yes, mother, he’s actually quite adorable if you can get past the glowing orange eyes and hands that double as knives. We both want to get revenge on giant mega corporations, and he has a nice dic-_

Yeah, he could live his whole life without having that conversation. 

The Syndicate definitely knew, but, for reasons, decided to keep it out of the press. He found that game’s recording in their database along with some emails between the higher ups. Ignoring some… choice words, they ultimately decided to keep it to themselves just in case they needed something to use against Revenant. And honestly, he was thankful the Syndicate decided to keep it as blackmail rather than release it to the press; that angle on him was embarrassing at best, and as long as it wasn’t out on the internet, he could delete it and all its copies if need be. 

They were halfway into the season, Media day, and all the highest ranking Legends had to attend a press panel. There were several panels scheduled throughout the day and there were five legends per panel. Crypto, Revenant, Pathfinder, Lifeline, and Wattson were all scheduled for the first panel at 9am and that didn’t even include the PR debriefing they had to do an hour before hand. Tae Joon was still at his desk furiously tapping his keyboard at 5am. 

“Don’t you skinsuits need sleep?” Revenant asked from his spot on the bed. 

“Not right now.”

“You have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“I know.” 

“You’re going to have dark circles under your eyes.”

“Concealer exists for a reason.”

“If you fall asleep at the panel, PR is going to rip you apart.”

“Coffee exists for a reason.”

“Is that really worth it?” Revenant gestured to the screen.

Tae Joon had been on this game for the past six hours grinding to get the loot from the new event. An event he hadn’t had the chance to play due to a combination of the Games, his illegal hacking escapades, and Revenant. Tonight was his last chance to play it. If he didn’t get all the new gear he would be underpowered, as were the rules of any MMORPG game.

“I’m shutting off the power.”

“Don’t you dare,” he hissed, shooting a glare over his shoulder. 

“Aren’t you a hacker?” he sighed. “Just give yourself the loot.”

“And ruin the sanctity of the game? Never.”

Revenant hovered over him for the whole ten minutes it took for him to finally take down the boss and scour the loot. “Tch. I didn’t get it.” His hand automatically went over to the button to requeue, but he was lifted out of his chair and thrown on the bed. 

“Go to sleep,” Revenant said. “You’re annoying when you don’t get enough sleep.”

Tae Joon whined. “You’re cruel, Ppalgan.” He rolled onto his feet and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

In the fifteen minutes he was in there, Revenant turned off his computer and hid the power cord. He settled himself on the bed and looked through the files Tae Joon gave him. A new CTO had just been appointed at Hammond and of course he dug into the man’s background. Father of three, resided in Solace, a clean record, but it was easy to hire janitors when you made as much money as him. If it involved Hammond, Tae Joon gave it to Revenant. Who was he to stop someone getting revenge on an interplanetary conglomerate?

Tae Joon collapsed onto his bed, taking out his phone and checking his messages. He texted a couple of people back, before crawling under the covers. Since Revenant was more metal than not, trying to rest on any part of him was uncomfortable at best, so Tae Joon settled on holding his hand as he slept. He kept their hands close to his face as he curled on his side. 

Revenant sighed and adjusted his position, sitting up against the headrest. “Someone’s going to see me leave your room,” he said. 

“You want to leave?” Tae Joon looked up at him.

“Maybe later,” he said. “If I can pry your fat fingers off me.”

He smiled. “G’night, Ppalgan,” he sighed.

Revenant’s only response was rubbing circles over the back of Tae Joon’s hand.

* * *

Tae Joon was being shaken awake. He wanted none of it. “No,” he mumbled into the pillow.

“It’s 7,” Revenant said next to him. 

“No, it’s not.”

“Clock begs to differ.”

“Turn it back at least 4 hours,” he said. “Tell them you played a terrible prank on me.”

“That won’t save you from the PR department.”

Tae Joon grumbled and pulled the sheets tighter around him. 

“Get up or else you’ll be late.”

“If I suck you off, can I stay in bed?”

Metal fingers ran through his hair. He looked up to see orange eyes looking down at him. “Feel free to,” he said, tugging his hair. Tae Joon groaned. “You certainly won’t be falling back asleep after.”

He glared at him. “You’re a terrible, terrible man.” He rolled over to the other side of the bed. 

Revenant chuckled and placed his hands on either side of Tae Joon’s head. “What gave it away? The fact that I murder people for a living or that I like it?” He leaned down to kiss him, lifting up the cocooned man with one arm and the other bracing against the bed. 

Tae Joon untangled himself just enough to get his arms out and wrap them around Revenant’s neck. “Not sure, but I definitely confirmed it once you dropped my ice cream,” he said, pulling him down for another kiss.

Revenant hummed and said, “Not my fault.” He pulled the fluffy blanket away from Tae Joon, sliding his shirt up and running his hands over the warm skin. 

Tae Joon’s breath hitched at the cool metal dancing over his abdomen. He sat up as he was pulled into the other’s lap. Revenant wrapped an arm around his waist and carried him. Tae Joon was too distracted to notice they were standing in the middle of his bathroom, before being deposited on the sink’s counter. 

“Get ready,” he said, pulling away. 

Tae Joon was left there, his hands hanging in the air as Revenant shut the door on him. “You’re a big bastard!” he yelled.

The raspy chuckle on the other side was the only indication that he was heard. 

By the time Tae Joon finished his morning routine, he only had 15 minutes left to grab some sort of breakfast before the PR debrief. He grumbled to himself. Why did he have to have the earliest time slot? He was a night owl, the other two human beings on the panel were morning people, and the other participating Legends were robots. He wondered if the Syndicate knew his identity and did this on purpose to torture him. 

Wattson, Lifeline, and Pathfinder were already in the canteen, chatting together over empty plates. 

“Good morning, friend!” Pathfinder said, waving to him. 

The girls looked over at him and smiled. “Good morning,” they both said. 

“Annyeong haseyo,” Tae Joon greeted.

“Hope you eat quick,” Ajay said amused as he tiredly went over to the counter. 

“I’ll manage,” he said. “Is there any coffee left?”

“Revenant went ahead and brewed a new pot,” Natalie said, pointing to the coffee machine by the toaster. 

He smiled as he poured himself a cup, adding some sugar and a bit of cream. “How kind of him.”

“That’s not what I heard this morning,” Lifeline smirked. 

His face hardened. “Because he is a big bastard.” He grabbed himself some toast and a few slices of ham from the fridge. Natalie patted the seat next to her, which he obligingly took. 

“What was he doing in your room so early anyway?” she asked. 

“He knew I was up late,” he took a sip of his coffee. “Unfortunately, decided to wake me up.”

“That is very kind of him,” Pathfinder said. 

“Maybe if he wasn’t such a big bastard about it.”

“Well, you are closer to him than any of us are,” Natalie said. “Maybe that’s his way of showing he’s comfortable around you.”

“That sounds terrible,” Pathfinder said. “It is not nice to be mean to your friends!”

“But he made Crypto coffee,” she said. “That’s nice.”

Pathfinder sat very still for a couple of seconds. “I suppose that’s true! What great friends you two must be!” 

Tae Joon ate his toast with ham as Natalie recounted the party that happened the other day. She finally got the courage to sit down and talk with Renee about her feelings. It was mutual, but anyone with eyes and/or ears knew that. They had a date planned this upcoming weekend. She thanked him for the advice and said she’d find a way to repay him. 

He finished his coffee and weighed if he had enough time for another cup. He wanted to go back to bed. Coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. If he downed three more cups before heading to the panel, would he be able to avoid going by giving himself a heart attack? 

He got up, ready to test that theory. 

“You finished just on time, Crypto,” Pathfinder said. “It is exactly 5 minutes until the debrief. And we still need to be transported to the conference hall.”

Could he down three cups before he was dragged out of the room? He sighed and just filled his cup up, before trailing behind the rest of the Legends. He sipped slowly at his coffee, savoring it. A cold metal hand came to rest on the back of his neck. “Oh, K’un-nom, there you are.”

Ajay and Natalie jumped slightly as Revenant appeared next to Tae Joon seemingly out of thin air. Pathfinder was the only one that seemed to perk up. “Hello, friend!”

For a face that could hardly move, Revenant was very good at showing his disgust. He opted to ignore the MRVN in favor of looking down at Tae Joon. “Harsh words for someone who’s drinking the coffee I made.”

Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as the five of them walked, Revenant’s footsteps no longer quiet now that he wasn’t sneaking around. He was wearing the red hoodie Tae Joon bought for him. It looked good on him, casual. Maybe that was why Ajay and Natalie were quicker to release the tension in their shoulders.

Tae Joon smirked, just the slightest tilt of his lips. “You only made this for me so I wouldn’t be pissed at you all day.” He took another sip of the coffee. “You should learn how to make coffee from Makoa,” he said. “Yours isn’t strong enough.”

Ajay laughed. “I’d say Makoa’s is just too strong,” she said. “The only people who drink that stuff are you and Caustic.”

Natalie nodded in agreement. “Alexander does like Makoa’s coffee best.”

Tae Joon shrugged. “What can I say? The man makes strong coffee.”

“Personally, I like the coffee Revenant made,” Ajay said. 

“I don’t drink coffee,” Natalie said. “But I’m sure it was fine, Revenant. Don’t listen to Crypto, he can be a bit of a bully.”

Revenant chuckled. “Oh, I know.”

Tae Joon huffed. “I’m not that bad.”

“Are you joking? Any time you so much as smile at Elliot, he gets defensive,” Ajay laughed. 

Tae Joon sighed, almost longingly at the memory. “He was even easier to rile up than you, Ppalgan.”

The hand on the back of his neck tightened slightly. Jealous maybe? “You bothered him as much as you bother me?”

Oh, jealous definitely. “Not more, per say,” he said. “Just easier.”

That seemed to satisfy Revenant. 

The PR team ran them through the basics, how to behave or rather how not to behave. They went through some of the things the reporters were going to ask. They gave them the schedule for the day. Media days were the worst days of the season. If he didn’t need to stay at the games to observe the Syndicates comings and goings, he would have ditched the whole thing.

Well, he eyed Revenant as the PR team flew them to the media center, he had one more reason to stay. But he couldn’t, not forever. He just needed enough to get his vengeance, justice for Mila, and then he’d disappear. That or the Syndicate would kill him. Either way, he would be gone. 

Would Revenant miss him? Or was he just another blip in that centuries old mind? Well, even if it was the later, he should still be able to enjoy the short time they spent together. 

Tae Joon crossed his arms and leaned back against Revenant’s side. He made a good choice when he got this hoodie; it was nice and soft, a good fabric to take a nap on. He shut his eyes and let himself drift off. He startled awake when the solid metal keeping him up disappeared, and he found himself staring up at the ceiling of the private jet.

Revenant stood over him, looking particularly amused. “Should have gone to sleep when I told you to.”

He rubbed his eyes. “Are we there?”

“Yes. Coffee hasn’t kicked in yet?”

Tae Joon grumbled. “Maybe coffee just doesn’t work on me anymore.” He sat up and looked around. Everyone else was already off. He got to his feet and stretched. “I should have asked Octavio for some stim.”

As soon as they got off the plane, Tae Joon was whisked away by hair and makeup; the bags under his eyes were ‘atrocious’ and his hair messy. He drank some water, went to the bathroom, all before practically collapsing into the simulacrum’s arms when he got into the lounge. 

“Make me a robot,” he mumbled into the red hoodie. 

Revenant adjusted the way he sat on the couch to accommodate Tae Joon. “And why would I do that?”

“So I won’t ever have to put on makeup or sleep again.”

“Hm. Don’t get any of that stuff on my hoodie,” he said. “It’s my only one.”

“Oh, don’t worry. It won’t be coming off anytime soon; they made sure of that,” Tae Joon said darkly. 

“Do you want more coffee or another nap?”

“What a sweet talker you are.”

“You have 30 minutes,” Revenant said. Tae Joon straddled his legs and leaned on his chest. Arms snaked around his waist as Tae Joon snuggled closer. “Someone will see us.”

“Mmm. Only legends allowed in here.”

“And you’re not concerned?”

“Lifeline knows how to keep a secret, Pathfinder won’t tell if I ask him not to, Wattson might not even notice, and I’m too tired,” he mumbled. “Wake me up in 20.”

Revenant put his hands in the hoodie’s pockets and loosely wrapped his arms around Tae Joon’s back, keeping him in place. He kept on watching the news as Tae Joon dozed off in his arms. The dull voice of the newscasters provided excellent white noise to lull him to sleep. 

In an instant, he was being gently shaken away. Tae Joon groaned. “You’re lying, he said. No way that was 20 minutes, it felt like 5 max. 

“Are all humans this much of a hassle when being woken up?” Revenant asked, trying to nudge him off. 

Ajay laughed, which had him flinching. “They do if they’ve only had 2 hours of sleep.”

He sat up slightly and glared at Revenant. “Traitor,” he said bleary eyed and pouting. 

Revenant snorted. “Get up already,” he said. “I gave you 22 minutes.”

“Wow, 2 extra minutes,” Tae Joon sighed and got up. “So generous.”

Revenant took off the hoodie and threw it on the couch. “Thanks for noticing.”

Five minutes before the panel started, there was a knock on the door, PR team ready to escort them to the room. The room was filled with reporters, double the usual amount during the after-game interview.

Crypto would stay quiet and hope no one asked him too many questions. He tried to look as bored as possible, camera’s flashing in their faces. He hated it. He couldn’t even look at the reporters. Lifeline, Wattson, and Patherfinder all waved, while Revenant sneered at the cameras. Thankfully, his seat was on the far end, towards the exit. Then it was Wattson, Revenant, Lifeline, Pathfinder. Of course, they put Revenant in the middle.

The moderator was introducing all of them, though really none of them needed introduction. At least this was a decent interview group sans Crypto himself. He refrained from closing his eyes and taking a nap for the hour the panel was scheduled for. But he really wanted to. He couldn’t even do his usual thing and zone out because he actually wanted to listen to Revenant’s answers, who was getting asked the most questions.

“Crypto, what do you think of your stats so far this season?”

He shrugged. “Could be better,” he said. “I have the rest of the season to fix that.”

“And is there anything you have to say to those saying you’re being carried by your teammates? Compared to the other legends, your average stats per game is one of the worst.”

Revenant growled lowly, which raised the brows of anyone who heard it.

Acknowledging it would be the worst thing he could do, so he breezed past it. He sighed, this was a question the PR team said he would likely be getting and told him he had to answer it properly. He sat up in his seat. “I am aware of these claims and my average stats are below average for a Legend, except for one. My ‘top five placement’ stat is at the top of the leaderboards; it has been since I joined last season. And though it is not a released stat, I have been told that my team members perform, on average, at a 75% efficiency when I am on the team.” He sighed again. “This is a team game, and I do my best to enable my teammates.”

“Revenant, as the individual who has been on Crypto’s team the most this season so far, do you find that to be true?”

Revenant was still glaring at the man who brought up Crypto’s lacking stats. “I do,” he said. “Being on his team five games in a row made his… absence much more apparent. It felt worse when he wasn’t on my team.”

Crypto’s eyes widened at the admission. On camera no less. There was a quiet murmur in the air as camera shutters went off. Lifeline laughed. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever complimented anyone.”

“It is because they are such close friends!” Pathfinder said.

Crypto rubbed the bridge of his nose. In his drowsy state he forgot to tell Pathfinder to keep their friendship on the downlow. This was why getting a good amount of sleep was important. At least 4 hours.

“How does one go about becoming friends with Revenant?” a woman asked Crypto.

He just shrugged.

The woman looked at him like she was telling herself she should have known better. And she should have. The only reason he gave such a long answer before was because PR specifically told him to answer it.

“Revenant, what’s it like being friends with Crypto?” a different reporter asked. “He seems rather elusive.”

“Annoying.”

“Wha-” Crypto turned to him, shock striking through his usual passive features.

“I told him to go to sleep early last night, otherwise he would regret it in the morning. Of course, he didn’t listen to me. And of course, it was a trial to wake him up.”

Heat was rising in Crypto’s face. “It wasn’t that bad!” He glanced at all the cameras in front of them. Oh, that was a lot of cameras.

“What was it you said to me? ‘Coffee exists for a reason.’” Revenant looked at him over Wattson’s head.

His whole face was probably red; he could feel it in the tips of his ears. He covered his face with his hands. He could hear the camera shutters clicking and the heat grew to impossible levels.

There was a dangerous glint in those optics, like he caught sight of prey and he was getting ready to pounce. “And he’s absolutely terrible at horror movies yet insists to see them. I don’t know why he does that to himself.”

“Why are you doing this?” he whispered quietly.

“I suppose I don’t particularly mind though, fear is a good look on him.”

“Stop…” Crypto whined, peeking at him through a crack in his fingers.

“Red’s a good color on you,” Revenant’s voice was all haughty, amused, and absolutely reveling in Crypto’s embarrassment. “I wonder if it’s a good color in you too.”

A good color in him what did that even mean? Did he mean blood? Was that a not so subtle way of saying he wanted to kill him? But then wouldn’t that be ‘red’s a good color coming out of you’? Was it because most of him was red and he was talking about his hand through his chest? Or was it because his penis was that same red and he was talking about it being… in… oh.

“OH MY GOD,” Crypto stood. “I hate you. You’re terrible. I can’t believe you.”

He walked very briskly off the panel and into the ‘staff only’ passageways. Normally that sort of talk from Revenant wouldn’t have flustered him as much as it did. But those cameras, all of them were pointed at them. Probably every reporter in there got a picture of him as red as a tomato. How embarrassing. Stupid Revenant. Mystik was probably watching. He was embarrassed, not only in front of millions, but also his mother. He hated this.

“Crypto,” Revenant called out to him, chasing after him.

“Go away,” he increased his pace, but with Revenant’s legs being almost twice as long, he hadn’t gotten very far. He was halted by a hand holding his upper arm. “Let go.”

“I’m sorry, I went to far,” Revenant apologized.

“You really did.”

“I’m sorry.” Revenant turned him around and held his face in his hands. Fingers wiped across his cheeks, only then did he realize that he was tearing up, just slightly. “I didn’t take you for a crybaby,” he said. Not mockingly, nor disgusted; quiet and tender.

He let himself be herded to a nook in the wall, leading to a door that hopefully wouldn’t be used. “I’m not. I just- I just don’t like everyone looking at me. Especially not when I looked like,” he waved his hand around generally, “that.”

“I thought you looked cute,” he said. “I wanted to keep seeing you like that, and I pushed it.” He chuckled a little to himself. “Can’t take what you dish out?”

“Not where there that many people looking,” he gripped onto Revenant’s scarf.

“Are you saying I can’t get you that way unless other people are watching?”

“I don’t know, maybe, probably not.”

“Shame.” He tilted Tae Joon’s chin up and pressed in for a kiss. “Guess I’ll have to make you squirm in other ways.”

Tae Joon chuckled. “Oh no, absolutely not here.”

“Later?”

“We’ll see if I’m still mad at you.” He wrapped his arms around Revenant’s neck to pull him down for another kiss. He opened his mouth for the tongue prodding his lips.

“PR is going to be pissed at us for leaving.”

Tae Joon leaned away. “You’re right. But I don’t want to go back to the commotion that will be waiting for us if both of us return together.”

“Want to leave?”

“PR will kill us. You head back first.”

“Okay.”

“Is my concealer still good?”

“I guess.” Revenant leaned in close. “One more?”

Tae Joon let himself be pressed into the door as he was kissed. He liked this. He liked being with Revenant. It might not be forever. But even if it was just for now, that was good enough for him. He hoped… He hoped that Revenant felt the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (just in case you need them):  
> Ppalgan: Red  
> Annyeong haseyo: Hello  
> K’un-nom: Big bastard
> 
> Writing this has actually made me genuinely ship Crypto and Revenant. It's just a damn shame this is a rare pair and the only content I've seen for these two are the few fics that are on here. I don't know if I'll be writing any new stories, but I do have a few side stories planned for this fic, so if you're interested keep an eye out for that. It won't be added onto this one, I'll just make it a part of the series.


End file.
